The date was February 2002. It was just 5 months after 9-11 and I had
been asked to be part of a school accreditation team in Dubai, United Arab
Emirates. As I talked on the phone with the Director I mentally pictured
the map. The UAE was on the Persian gulf, across from Iran and on the
Arabian peninsula. "Yes, I'd love to be part of the team," I
responded. That afternoon when I told my daughter about this invitation,
she was not happy. All she could think was that it was an unsafe part of
the world to visit. She didn't want me to go. Then she decided if
something happened to me, she wanted to be with me, so she asked if she could
come along. I told her I was sure it would be okay, that she'd have to
pay her own airfare and expenses, but could stay with me. So, she asked
for a week off from her teaching job to accompany me on this trip in March.
We flew to London where we had less than 24 hours, but made the most of our
time there, visiting Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and all the
important sites. We ended up having a hamburger at the original Hard Rock
that night before returning to our hotel.
The next day it was the 2nd leg
of our flight and we arrived in Dubai in the middle of the night. 7:30 AM the next morning came way too quickly and we were off to visit the school. What a fantastic
school it was! An international school with all subjects taught in
English except high school social studies. It was fun to watch the Pre-Kindergarten (3 1/2 years old)
children arrive at school. Their first lessons were in French. They sang, danced and responded in French, all while learning vocabulary.
Later in the morning they switched to Arabic, and before the day's end,
they were using English for all their lessons. By the time these
youngsters reached 1st Grade (in two years) they would be fluent in three
languages! Perhaps the most unusual thing about this school was in their history classes. All maps of the Middle East identify Palestine, but not Israel! The students all knew this was incorrect, but because the Minister of Education dictates the maps, that is what the children see and are taught. Despite this one rewriting of history, the school was really wonderful to visit. The high school science classes were equipped with state-of-the-art equipment; there was technology throughout the school; and students were preparing for post-secondary educational options.
While our days were spent visiting the school, the evenings were taken up investigating the surrounding area. A visit to the gold souks was great. We all left a few American dollars after purchasing beautiful jewelry that was very reasonably priced. A tour of the Dubai Museum gave us a snapshot of the history of the city and its environs. And a trip into the desert where we went dune bashing (riding in a jeep over the sand dunes), ate a true Bedouin dinner, had henna painted on our hands and rode a camel added to our memories of this beautiful and friendly country.
One afternoon we took a taxi to the Burj al Arab Hotel, the world's first, and at that time, only 7 star hotel. It cost us $20 each just to go inside and we were limited as to where we could go: the lobby, the restaurants and bar, the top floor restaurant and the mezzanine where there were shops. However, we did enjoy a drink for our $20 fee! While there we waded in the Persian Gulf.
Our trip was over far too soon, but we found Dubai to be one of the safest and most enjoyable places we had visited. As you can see from the pictures, we did not need to wear the abaya or veils, just dress modestly. We often felt safer there than we sometimes do at home in the US. The taxi drivers were all business and their cars were metered. There was no one trying to entice us to go with them or get our attention or sell us anything. This visit was very much of an opportunity to see a very positive side of the Middle East. We both agreed that we want to return to Dubai some day, especially now since they have built so many new and interesting hotels on reclaimed land.
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